Krishna the Divine Lover in Indian Art

The
major gods in Indian art traditions have all been
given consorts. They are rarely described as celibate
recluses. In their incarnate form they are explicit
in their demonstrative attraction for the opposite
sex. The goddesses do not lag behind. Their love
for their husbands or lovers is often portrayed
in an assertively earthy and sensual manner. Gods
and goddesses represent a conscious duality, complementing
each other.

Krishna was physically irresistibly
appealing. Ancient texts dwell at length on his
exceptionally alluring countenance: a blue complexion
soft like the monsoon cloud, shining locks of
black hair framing a beautifully chiseled face,
large lotus like eyes, wild -flower garlands around
his neck, a yellow garment (pitambara) draped
around his body, a crown of peacock feathers on
his head, and a smile playing on his lips, it
is in this manner that he is faithfully represented
since the ancient times to the modern.

Much as in the Christian art of
Medieval Europe, it is woman the Mother, the Madonna
suckling a babe who has been painted with reverence,
in the Indian Diaspora it is woman the beloved
who has been painted with love and passion. The
female friends of Krishna with their warm sensuous
faces, eyes filled with passion, and delicate
sensitive fingers, represent not the beauty of
a particular woman, but the beauty of entire womanhood.
In fact, she is there as the incarnation of all
the beauty of the world and as a representative
of the charm of her sex.

In
the embrace of Krishna, the gopis, maddened with
desire, found refuge; in their love dalliance
with him who was the master in all the sixty-four
arts of love, the gopis felt a thrill indescribable;
and in making love with him in that climatic moment
of release, in that one binding moment, they felt
that joy and fulfillment which could not but be
an aspect of the divine. Through their experience,
thus, the erotic the carnal and the profane became
but an aspect of the sublime, the spiritual and
the divine.This cumulative myth sustained one
basic point: for women, Krishna was a personal
god, always accessible and unfailingly responsive.
He was a god specially made for women. In the
popular psyche, Krishna and Radha became the universal
symbol for the lover and the beloved. Krishna
was the ideal hero, and Radha the ideal heroine.

Often the colorful legends surrounding
his amorous adventures with female friends prove
to be of supreme inspiration to artists. The following
tale describing Krishna teasing the gopis by making
away with their clothes while they were bathing
in the river is one such example :

According to tradition, unmarried
girls from ten to fourteen years of age worship
the Goddess Durga in order to fulfil their desire
for a suitable husband. But the unmarried girls
of Vrindavana were already attracted by the beauty
of Krishna. Thus they daily worshipped goddess
Durga early in the morning after taking a bath
in the river Yamuna, and supplicated the goddess
to arrange for their match with Krishna.

Each morning, the gopis would
assemble together at the banks of Yamuna and,
holding one another's hands, loudly sing of the
wonderful pastimes of lord Krishna before entering
the river. It is an old system among Indian girls
and women that when they take a bath in the river
they place their garments on the bank and dip
into the water completely naked. The portion of
the river where the girls and women bathe was
strictly prohibited to any male, and this is still
the system in some parts.

One
day Krishna appeared on the scene with his friends.
Observing the garments left on the bank by the
bathing gopis, he immediately collected all the
garments, climbed up a nearby tree, and with a
smiling face spoke to them thus: "My dear girls,
please come here one after another and pray for
your garments and then take them away. I'm not
joking with you, just telling the plain truth.
Please don't come here all at once. Come alone
one by one; I want to see each of you in your
complete beauty, for you all have thin waists."

When the girls in the water heard
such joking words from Krishna, they began to
look at one another and smile. Though outwardly
showing resentment they were joyous to hear such
a request because they were already in love with
him. They then addressed him : " Do not joke with
us in this way, it is unjust to us. You are a
very respectable boy and very dear to us, so kindly
deliver our garments immediately because we are
all shivering from the cold water, and end our
suffering."

But all their supplications could
not convince Krishna. Seeing that Krishna was
strong and determined, they had no alternative
but to abide by his command. One after another
they came out of the water, but because they were
naked, they tried to cover their nakedness with
their soft hands. On observing this Krishna chided
the gopis, addressing them thus: " My dear girls,
you have committed a great offence by going naked
in this holy river, because of this the presiding
deity of this holy river is displeased with you.
Therefore to please this deity touch your forehead
with folded palms and ask for his forgiveness."
The gopis were all simple souls, and whatever
Krishna said they took to be true. They followed
his command, but in doing so exposed their nakedness
in all its beauty to Krishna's gaze, which was
exactly what Krishna desired.

All the unmarried gopis who prayed
to Goddess Durga to have Krishna as their husband
were thus satisfied. A woman cannot be naked before
any male except her husband. The unmarried gopis
desired Krishna as their husband, and he fulfilled
their desire in this way.

The
India art tradition visualises the love adventures
of gods and their female friends because it acknowledges
that sex is the supreme fact in life, which provides
the urge to procreate and maintain the species.
It is concealed like lightning in a cloud, and
in its glow is the birth of art, literature and
science. Sex union among lovers is the most exalted
experience in life, and in mutual ecstasy the
liberation of the soul from the narrow 'self'
takes place. This is the supreme experience of
lovers as well as mystics. That is why in describing
the union of God and soul, the extremely beautiful
imagery of man and woman is employed by mystic
saints and artists. Thus we see that the classification
of love into 'carnal' and 'spiritual' is arbitrary
and unwarranted for the so called 'spiritual'
love has its roots in the so called 'physical'
love. This art thus sanctifies human love and
places it on a par with divine love. In it we
find sacredness wedded to sensuous joy.

It is not a spiritual art where
spirit and body are regarded as two separate entities.
It is not gloomy, cold and forbidding, but is
an art which is a happy blend of the sensuous
and the spiritual. The spirituality is not chilled
by an asceticism which is disdainful of female
loveliness and the delights of love. In fact,
its spirituality very much based on flesh and
blood. It is an art which glorifies female beauty
and revels in the loveliness of the female form.

The knitting together of form
and color into a coordinated harmony is the hallmark
of this art. Form and color are so blended that
the effect is musical. To achieve such a harmony,
the artist uses both line and color in these paintings.
The line which he uses is the musical rhythmical
line, which express both movement and mass, representing
the flow and ardor of impassioned love. The type
of line which Blake admired, and regarded as the
golden rule of art is this: " The more distinct,
sharp, and wiry the bounding line, the more perfect
the work of art, and the less keen and sharp,
the greater is evidence of weak imagination."
And what a rhythm these dancing lines create,
a pure limpid harmony! That is why these pictures
are so comforting and so soothing like the concertos
of Bach and Mozart. This line is effectively supplemented
by colors-the blues, yellows, greens, and reds,
the pure colors of earth and minerals, which shine
like jewels.

We hope you have enjoyed reading the article. Any comments or feedback that you may have will be greatly appreciated.Please send your feedback to feedback@krishna.exoticindiaart.com.

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Beautiful article, thank you.

by BKRoss on 13th Apr 2014

I always have liked this story: by touching and shivering on their pubes, the Gopis experienced the Joys of &quot;marital&quot; love. Krishna is the indwelling learner and experience of all our skills. He even is the skill of a cheat, a musician , an internet user etc. Thank you

by valvtrom on 27th Sep 2010

Hello, Please don';t make mental concoctions about Krishna , Krishna has to be understood through 1. the parampara system, and second if you want to have a description of Krishna , he was not a BLACK man , he was blakish bluish ,exactly like the monsun cloud. That is the description of the Vedas, his eyes are are like lotus flowers etc etc. He was not a black man, please don't make mental speculations, krishna has to be understood through the scriptures and the bonafide parampara system

by Hello on 1st Feb 2010

I would agree with Mr. Shurjendu. The idea of Radha and Krishna's love gives us an idea of supreme unselfish erotic feelings, that can be experienced only in the realm of the blissful soul, not in the realm of the temporary body.

Kind regards,
Yasomati

by Yasomatinandana on 1st Aug 2009

What a beautiful affirmative article. Thank you for taking the time to research and write it. It is an antidote to the idea that sexuality and spirituality are incompatible opposites. Our appetite for pleasure is one of God's manifold gifts. I have the utmost respect for nuns, monks and priests as well as laypeople who choose to suppress that appetite in their adoration of God. That choice is freely made does not make them spiritually superior to those of us who express our love via sex. It seems to be a hallmark of most religions that we assign greater value to those who work to suppress or repress their sexuality. Many of those people are indeed more devout and more focused on pleasing God. Many married couples are just as devout and through their lives together, they give glory to God using a different vocabulary. God is far more loving, merciful, playful and joy-filled than we allow Her/Him to be when represented through the prism of our pettiness.

by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh on 25th Jun 2009

This is an apology for the error I made in my review. This article was not posted on my birthday in the year of 2008 10/02 however; it was last reviewed on that date. The aritcle itself was 1st posted by in year 2000. Again, i just wanted to clarify my error. India art is so, romantic and captivating, especially when I know that Lord Krisna and so, many other Lords, God and Goddesses in Hinduism were - BLACK Ancestors who were on this planet first, don't take my word for it study His-tory in order to learn Our-story! Might of fact where do you think India, Indians and Asians get there dart, swarthy skin complextion from duh! The Black man and Black Woman are the Mother's and Father's of all races of people, believe it or not! Ase' LedaBee 5/19/09

by LedaBee on 19th May 2009

This article was beautiful because I do not take every and anything I read literally, I particularly enjoyed reading all the reviews submitted by others readers. I concur with the women’s sexuality and spiritual energy is as one. This has been suppressed by male patriarchy concepts and beliefs through out the his-story of India - Hinduism, Buddahism as well as the JCI religious beliefs about the women’s body and sexuality. What is so amazingly true with a doubt is when a child is born from a, &quot;Spiritual / Sexual Conception between man and woman. The dual aspect of this divine spiritual pro-creation sexual union being conceived from the equal love as that of Krisna parents is just how Krisna was born into a spiritual love child. What caught my attention after reading this article was the fact that it was posted on my birthday 10/02 in the year of 2008. My Zodiac sign is the scales Libra being balanced as in Justice. Chinese symbol Yen and Yang reciprocity etc... male and female. Without the mother there would be no father, without the father there would be no mother. I turned 49 y.o. on the date this article was first posted; at that time I was not aware of the many gods and goddesses in Hinduism literature. There is truly something magical, enlightening and true about the myths, tales, portraits, and ancient documents covering a wide array of his-story amongst the people of the world when it comes to religions, and beliefs. What is even more powerful now that I have become exposed and have done my own research into our-story as a Black woman who ancestors come from Alkebelan, the name of Africa before it Egypt was invaded by Indo-Europeans. I know that India means Black! I only wish that the ancestors be praised for they truly were the ones whom contributed to the worlds, first concept of spirituality by and through their divine sexuality as men and women it was through their procreation that places all men and women around the world on this world stage we stand on day in and day out, from the shores of the sea to every piece of land on this planet earth. The color, &quot;Black is beautiful,&quot; I do not believe Krisna was Blue or Purple the way most India Portraits portray him. Every now and then I see him as his true nature being a born as a Black man! I can hardly wait until his birth rite is acknowledged as such, because if not I can only imagine that in the next 100 years Lord Krisna will then be betrayed as being a Red man with an orange tent to his skin. Krisna was a hue-man, and if he were a God then I can't see why he would want to look at young girls naked bodies, this is just my perspective, even though the thought was well intended by the writer. This is story is almost intended to be taken literally as all Nuns saving their bodies for Jesus in heaven. His-tory has been distorted by man and, until the masses of the people start using their common sense when they read information, the distortion, fables and lies will continue to spread like a disease, and smell like a rotten egg on an open fire! Ase' Message from a Black conscience Woman! LedaBee

by LedaBee on 19th May 2009

This is not a new concept. It is a true concept and you see it very clearly and i applaud you. The concept of spirituality and sexuality woven together goes back to prehistory. It's very division is what has caused such distorted views of men and women in their roles today. Mr. Shurjendu Dutt-Mazumdar is obviously misinformed and perhaps views sexuality as dirty or divided from spirituality. But we must remind the frazzled commentator that he too was born from the sacred union of sexuality. And for your information my dear sir, the reason there has not been a good deal of sexual imagery in Hinduism is because the priests have made certain it is so. Read some Krishnamurti and his views on spirituality. Look at the situation with the devadasis, the ancient dancers/lovers who have been banished from their dances/sexual prostitution in the Indian temples. For shame! What greater beauty is there than spirituality married to sexuality. The beauty and worship of the female form which men continue to do each and every moment as they up to this day chase women! Sexual energy can most certainly be TRANSFORMED into spiritual energy and this can be demonstrated from the rising of Kundalini. Sexuality has far too long been suppressed and equated with shame and guilt. The Crown Chakra once it is opened becomes not only a link to the universal spiritual energy but also a link to LOVE. And Mr. Shurjendu Dutt-Mazumdar, we know that the article is simple, it is only an article not a book. Hinduism is LITTERED with sexual goddesses but you choose to avoid this fact because sexuality makes you feel uncomfortable. To those who are unaware, Radha and Krishna were not only divine lovers but twin souls, which is not usually an understood concept but one i can personally attest to as i sojourn to higher levels of consciousness. Your article is beautiful and well written. Congratulations for your great insight and understanding and for spreading the news. Sexuality and Spirituality are ONE.

by Sylvia on 27th Feb 2009

beautiful

by melinda on 20th Jan 2007

please send immediately Krishna Review with photographs

by annie garrycooper on 11th Jun 2006

Hi everyone and i hope to meet like minded friends who also like this idea.

by suresh on 6th Jun 2006

I really like this idea of sprituality blending with sexuality and it makes a lot of common sence that this is the way life has to be and i hope to meet like minded friends too and please feel free to write to me so we can exchange ideas of this subject where our love to goddess will grow more in a loving way and mixed with sexuall feelings and the relationship is more juicy and more closer to the gods and goddess.

by suresh on 6th Jun 2006

Hi. please send me more pictures of Lord Krishna. As i have to stick them in my pictures of gods book. Thankyou very much.

by Chandini on 30th Jul 2005

very well said Shurjendu

by Meera on 30th Mar 2005

I'm not equipped to judge the fidelity of your account to tradition like some of your other reviewers but while looking for information on the gopis I came across your site and found it a very charming read with beautiful pictures. I will be coming back now to read more.

by Rob Dobbin on 14th Mar 2005

I really just quickly scanned this article but it is so nice to see positive things written about women and sex in general, of its divine nature which seems to me to be largely lost to the western world. I was trying to find out if Krishna had actually been celibate. For the purposes of writing some comedy. Was Radha his actual lover or wife?

by Pauline Anderson on 26th Sep 2004

A very banal and simplistic look at Shri Krishna. Not that there is not a good deal of sexual imagery in Hinduism, especially with Krishna. But there has never, for instance, been a passage describing his lovemaking with the gopis, only his flirtatious sport. That is pure fantasy on your part. Also, a lot of the 'all-attractiveness' of Krishna is seen as symbolic of the irresistible nature of God and much of the Shrimad Bhagavatam's language is clearly symbolic of that and doesn't nearly dwell on the physical intercourse itself as much as you do, instead highlighting his God-nature. I think you've been reading 'Geeta Govinda' a bit too much. My warning to readers is not to disregard this, which is certainly a legitimate view, but not to take it as Gospel, since Krishna and Hinduism is far wider than the narrow scope presented here.

by Shurjendu Dutt-Mazumdar on 16th Mar 2004

hello, could you send me some pictures of durga in some good background scenery. thanks very much would be great.
Sonia

by sonia on 19th Jan 2004

Hallo, could you send me some lovemaking pictures of radhakrishna. thank u very much.

by Radha on 20th Nov 2003

Beautiful, meditative pictures...awsome..

by Bhavesh on 3rd Feb 2003

A wonderful concept.great pictures

by Subrata on 6th Feb 2002

Thank you for the beautiful pictures and devotional as well as informative article. God bless your service.

by dr.jaya on 18th Oct 2001

Simply a great concept,presentation and storyline. nothing but total success i can wish for you.

by Sid Banerjee on 3rd May 2001

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"After having returned the clothes of the unclad maidens bathing in the sacred waters of river Yamuna, Krishna congratulated them for their unflinching devotion towards him and promised that he would sport with them during the forthcoming autumn nights...The gopis' escape from the shackles of worldly life was not however without event...Truly, Krishna is the ultimate attraction, much like a magnet draws iron files towards it...whatever emotion is directed towards god, it should be intense and continuous...the gopis puffed up with pride and each regarded herself as special...the gopis forgot their agony of separation (viraha), and on physical "contact with him (anga sanga) felt all their desires fulfilled..."

"The only true male in this world is Krishna, while the rest all are females....Loving god is different than merely believing in him....Of all the emotions in man, kama, or desire, is the strongest because he is born due to it....The gopis of Vrindavana are the ideal teachers from whom one can learn the art of loving god....A gopi is one who keeps her love and lover secret....In the highest state of love, there is no restraining screen between lovers....As Lakshmi tenderly presses Vishnu's feet with affection he dozes off in his yoga nidra....The same god who rules over the world runs barefoot after cows in Vrindavana....To catch her attention, Krishna walked slowly in front of her with a slow and dance-like gait....The gopis' affection for Lord Krishna is a supreme tribute to the creative power of love."

"Lord Krishna...is now for centuries the most cherished theme of arts in India... Unlike Lord Vishnu, who he incarnates, Krishna is...an entity beyond time, without end and without beginning... He has been represented in visual arts... but no...form could ever define him... Forms decompose, erode and are subject to transition, Krishna is not... He exists in what he creates, yet is always beyond it. Thus, all are his forms and yet he is beyond them all... This defines Lord Krishna related art vision and the entire creative endeavor, which always fell short of its theme "

"Wordsworth... said: 'Heaven lies about us in our infancy.'... as an infant and a child, Krishna is approachable... He can be approached with the intimacy with which a parent approaches a child... Such a god invites man to dispense with cumbersome formality and come to him openly, delighting in him intimately... Krishna's incarnation represents the human dimension of the divine... Krishna removes the poison of evil from this world while he joyously feeds on a mother's bosom... God as an infant does not govern the world from a majestic throne, but makes the world his playground and even while enjoying himself maintains the cosmic order. A child too seeks only to amuse himself, expressing his essential nature in every action..."

"Krishna is realised in love and in his love reveals the supreme good; all fetters break and the loved one unites with him in absolute oneness....In between the period, when he left with Radha and made love with her, the child Krishna grows to such manhood as gives him competence to make love with a far matured woman. It was obviously a mystic magnification, not a growth on the scale of time....In the love-war passes the whole night...."

"Once Shri Krishna knocked at Shrimati Radharani's door....Krishna introduced himself with various names, the meanings of which were taken differently by Radharani than that intended by him....In the Bhagavad Gita there are forty different names used by Arjuna to call upon Shri Krishna.....Obeying Arjuna's command, Krishna drove the chariot in between the two armies.....Krishna is the ultimate attraction, and like a magnet drawing iron files towards it, he too naturally attracts his devotees....Here there are two modes of addressing Krishna: Keshava and Bhagvan, both of which are loaded with spiritual and contextual relevance....The 'nameless' has a thousand names and it is through these names that the 'nameless' is to be realized."

"The Bhagavad Gita consists of seven hundred verses. Out of these, a massive 574 have been uttered by Krishna himself, giving us an unparalleled insight into the true nature of divinity... (It) is in many ways God's picture album filled with self-portraits... The Great Teacher knows that human intellect is but naturally attracted to what it perceives to be extraordinary. This is made explicit when he defines himself to be 'the brilliance of all that is brilliant and the splendor of all that is splendid.'... God is present in all that is good and bad. The choice however remains ours... That is the reason he points out to us various specific and temporal manifestations of his otherwise endless and eternal glory. By following their biographical narratives to their logical conclusions, expressed through an autobiographical discourse in God's own voice, we gain a clearer roadmap for identifying, and making the correct choices in our own lives..."